| Brazilwood |
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Information AboutBrazilwood |
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Portuguese explorers used this name "Pau-Brasil" for such a wood from a South American tree ('' Caesalpinia echinata''), which led to the name Brazil for its land of origin. This ''Caesalpinia echinata'' is also known as "Pau-de-Pernambuco" ( Pernambuco is the name of a small state in Northeast Brazil, "pau" meaning " Wood "). The orange-red wood, which takes a high shine, is also used for making Violin bows, and is the premier wood for that purpose. Bows labeled as made of Pernambuco or Brazilwood are both made from this species, the main difference being that Pernambuco is said to come from the innermost part of the tree, and is consequently denser and stiffer, making the increasingly scarce Pernambuco more desirable. Historical importance In the 15th and 16th centuries, brazilwood was highly valued in Europe and quite difficult to get. Coming from Asia , it was traded in powder form and used as a red dye in the manufacture of luxury Textiles , such as Velvet , in high demand during the Renaissance . When Portuguese navigators discovered present-day Brazil, on April 22 , 1500 , they immediately saw that brazilwood was extremely abundant along the coast and in its hinterland, along the rivers. In a few years, a hectic and very profitable operation for Felling and transporting by shipping all the brazilwood logs they could get was established, as a crown-granted Portuguese Monopoly . The rich Commerce which soon followed stimulated other nations to try to harvest and smuggle brazilwood Contraband out of Brazil, or even Corsairs attacking loaded Portuguese ships in order to steal their cargo. For example, the unsuccessful attempt of a French expedition led by Nicolas Durand De Villegaignon , vice-admiral of Brittany and corsair under the King, in 1555, to establish a colony in present-day Rio De Janeiro ( France Antarctique ) was motivated in part by the bounty generated by economic exploitation of brazilwood. Excessive exploitation (it has been estimated that in the last two centuries, more than 50 million trees were destroyed) finally led to a steep decrease in the number of brazilwood trees in the 18th century, causing the collapse of this economic activity. Presently, the species is practically . The trade of brazilwood is therefore likely to be banned in the immediate future, creating a major problem in the bow-making industry which highly values this wood. The International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative , whose members are the bowmakers who rely on pernambuco for their livelihoods, is working hard to replant it. It is advocating the use of other woods for violin bows as it raises money to plant pernambuco seedlings. > |